Category: Energy

New Year, New Food! The 5 AM Latté

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It’s been an overdrive-type week chez Reilly, so this week’s new food is actually a beverage. It’s been appropriately named the “So What That It’s 5 AM Latté”… or for extra taxing weeks when that’s too many words, simply “The 5 AM Latté.” Use vanilla almond milk and save precious time by avoiding the lengthy sugar-adding step. If you have an espresso machine, get the stepladder, dust it off, and fire it up. If not, you can brew double-strength coffee and this’ll be just as fierce.

So What That It’s 5 AM Latté
Serves 1

8 oz vanilla almond milk (such as Almond Breeze or Silk Pure Almond)
Dash of cinnamon
2 shots of espresso, or 2 oz double-strength coffee

Microwave or heat milk + cinnamon in a saucepan until steamy hot. Pour into favorite mug. Brew coffee or espresso and pour immediately into mug ‘o milk. Sip fast or slow. Let the day begin!

What the critics said:
Bitchin’ Dietitian: “The sun’s not up? What’s it waiting for?”
Bitchin’ Husband: “Oh Thank God.”
Bitchin’ Kids: “Can we have one of those, but in a margarita glass?” (What are we teaching these kids?!)

Definitely a winner. How do you start your early days?

Muscle Meals

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Photo by: TOMOYOSHI

‘Tis the season for sedentarity. Exercise is harder to come by during the holiday season, and it takes a real firestorm of motivation to get your heart rate up. The good news is, if you’re in a colder climate, outdoor exercise may help you to burn 50 or more calories per hour because you’re working hard to stay warm. This doesn’t mean you should skimp on clothing during that cross-country ski trip, it just means you should GO on a cross-country ski trip! And, chances are, you’ll do your workout in less time as you dream of the hot tea and warm applesauce waiting for you (OK fine, hot chocolate and brownies… just keep ‘m healthy!). And you can always resort to indoor exercise… stair runs, jumping jacks during commercial breaks, or using heavy exercise machinery to mimic outdoor moves.

So now that you’re bundling up or inching away from the Menorah cookies to run a few laps, it seems like a good time to talk about what kind of fuel we need for optimal exercise execution. To help me out, I’ve consulted Sasha Britton, a work-out warrior and performance pro, to give us the nutrient ditty. Give it to us, Sasha!

When we exercise, muscle tissue is constantly breaking down (you know this is happening when you feel the “burn.” that’s the buildup of lactic acid causing muscles to break down.) Protein is necessary for the recovery and rebuilding process. The best protein sources for our bones and kidneys are those from plants… beans, lentils, split peas, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and vegetables (did you know broccoli has as much protein in 1 stalk as a slice of turkey? bring on the greens, fitness friends!). To calculate your exercising protein needs, multiply 0.5 grams for every pound of body weight. A 150-pound ice skater needs about 75 grams of protein per day. That stalk of broccoli has 7 grams of protein. Put it atop a cup of brown rice with a half-cup of lentils and you’ve already eaten 20 grams of protein for the day! Pre- and post-workout drinks that include some protein may also help in muscle repair. Try smoothies made with almond milk and add soy or rice protein powder. Cheers!

Iron is also key for building muscle and maintaining endurance. Great sources include whole grain cereals fortified with iron, legumes (beans, peas and peanuts), dried fruit (especially raisins), and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and all the other stinky veggies). You’ll want to combine these with foods high in vitamin C, such as citrus fruits and berries; this will aid your body in absorbing and utilizing iron.

Next on the list: Calcium & Vitamin D. They’re crucial for a healthy heart, and properly functioning muscles, nerves, and bones. Ever considered working out without these body parts? Not a good idea! Super calcium sources include fortified non-dairy milks and juices as well as dark leafy greens (more stinky cruciferous leafies, please!), almonds, sesame seeds (and their pureed form–tahini–found in most hummus concoctions), and dried figs. Very few foods in nature contain vitamin D, since we are meant to get it from the sun. However, it’s impossible to get adequate vitamin D from the sun from November to February if you live above 42 degrees north latitude (northern CA to Boston), or if you wear SPF 8 or greater. Therefore, fortified foods and supplements are essential for meeting vitamin D needs. During sunny months, 5 to 30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 AM and 3 PM at least twice a week to the face, arms, legs, or back without sunscreen is all you need to meet your needs.

Zinc is another big whig when it comes up feeding your fitness fuel. Zinc is high in protein-rich foods (see above), but it’s especially high in pumpkin seeds. Yet another reason to celebrate the gourd!

Last but not least, Vitamin B-12 is essential for metabolism and making use of the energy stored in food. Vitamin B-12 is only found in reliable amounts in animal products. We used to get plenty of B-12 when we ate our poorly washed, home-grown produce. However, now that we wash, re-wash, and sanitize our foods so heavily, there’s not a whole lot of B-12 left. So, rather than chowing down on dirt, try fortified non-dairy milks, cereals, and vitamin supplements — they’re fantastic sources.

Thank you, Sasha! Now shut down your computers and get out there! Exercise awaits. How do YOU move this time of year?

The 5th Food Group: Sleep

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MMmmm, sleep tastes so good! In this fast-paced, techno-hyped world, many have learned to run on empty and be ok with it. But, how ok is it to shoot your metabolism in the foot, store fat more easily, and downregulate your everyday speech synapses?

Even as a dietitian (and a bitchin’ one nonetheless!) who finds food as the answer to everything, I might just say that sleep is even more important than nutrition on the path to health and wellness. With a good night’s sleep (meaning 7+ hours), not only will you quiet your case of the “F-its” and choose healthier foods during the day, but your body chemistry will be more cooperative. Without enough rest, your body is stressed, and responds by making more cortisol. This is GREAT if you’re in the jungle running from a hungry tiger. But not if you’re sitting in a PR planning meeting, or really doing anything besides running from a hungry tiger.

The stress hormone cortisol stimulates hunger and screws with your ability to metabolize carbohydrates (thus increasing blood sugar levels which triggers insulin production and body fat storage). Inadequate sleep also diminishes leptin levels, and believe you me, leptin is something you want a lot of. Leptin triggers fullness and essentially tells your mouth that it’s closed for business. And without the right amount of leptin, you’ll crave carbohydrates. Not the kidney-bean-quinoa type, but the twizzler-chocolately-marshmallow-fluff type. Not enough info to put you to sleep? How about how the lack of sleep minifies growth hormones that regulate fat and muscle proportions in the body? (The more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism.) So even if you’re working out, you’re going to have trouble building muscle. Sounds like a deal-sealer to me!

Alas, if you’re wearing your bathing suit all day, chowing down on nothing but beans and veggies, zumba-ing your little tush off, and not reaching your health and weight goals, try checking your sleep meter. You may just need to snooze it to lose it.

Gastronomique Trifecta

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It’s 3:00 and you’re feeling slunky. You just can’t bear to sift thru another reply all message, let alone finish the project that is due in 2 hours. And all you can think about is what’s in the vending machine. Well. Perhaps it’s time for the weekend, or maybe you just didn’t ingest a serving of all 3 of the essential life-giving foods today: peanut butter, broccoli, and dark chocolate. With a good night’s sleep and these 3 foods daily, you will not only be able to conquer all moments of slunkishness, boredom, and monotony, but you’ll actually enjoy them. And if you didn’t get a good night’s sleep, this is your best chance of survival.

Not only do all 3 foods taste fantastic, but there’s actually science to support this 3-food mantra. Peanut butter (preferably the natural kind) contains healthy fats and plant protein to leave you satisfied for 2-3 hours. It also sparks the production of serotonin which makes you feel calm and on top of the world. Oh, 3 hours of filing? And you’re going to pay me?!!

Broccoli has plant protein and filling fiber, but also has a ton of disease-fighters and immune-boosting compounds, so it’s like life insurance. How in the world else would you be able to slog thru the monotony if you weren’t immortal?

Dark chocolate has a mild caffeine pick-me-up effect, but also contains life-extending antioxidants, thus furthering your invincibility. And, the bittersweetness of chocolate actually triggers your brain that it’s time to stop eating. This will help banish vending machine thoughts and clear your mind for fully focused task completion.

So, when you see the afternoon fog roll in, think not about corn chips and oreos, but whether or not you’ve honored the holy trinity.